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CNN Saturday Morning News

Carter Ends Six-Day Trip to Cuba

Aired May 18, 2002 - 07:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Former President Jimmy Carter plans to send President Bush a report on his historic trip to Cuba. Mr. Carter ended his six-day trip yesterday with a sense of optimism. CNN's Havana Bureau Chief, Lucia Newman, is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Jimmy Carter, who had come to Cuba to do three things, left having at least accomplished two.

He got to know the Cuban people. And getting to know Fidel Castro and his opponents. His third objective, to improve relations between Cuba and the United States, may have to wait.

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I recognize the current events -- after 43 years of misunderstanding and animosity, that one brief trip could not change the basic relationships between our peoples. But, my hope is that in some small way, at least, our visit might improve that situation in the future.

NEWMAN: Many more who heard and saw his address to the nation Tuesday -- it called not only for Washington to change, but also for Cuba to embrace democracy -- say Carter has already done more than they ever imagined.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): That speech, so different from the same worn-out rhetoric we've heard for 43 years, gave us a boost of hope.

NEWMAN: Carter says this weekend he'll send President George Bush a report about his trip here.

(on camera): Mr. Carter wants to send a clear message to the White House before Mr. Bush's Cuba policy speech Monday. A message he hopes will be taken seriously.

(voice-over): Carter says all the Cuban dissidents he spoke to are opposed to receiving direct or indirect aid from the U.S. government.

CARTER: They thought this would put an undeserved stigma on their actions, which they consider to be quite heroic, and if such a policy was announced, that this would, in effect, prove the false allegation that their dissident actions in the past had been instigated and financed from the United States.

NEWMAN: President Castro, for his part, seemed cheerful as he saw Jimmy Carter off.

When we asked Mr. Castro why he'd invited the former president and allowed him to speak his mind, he responded...

QUESTION: Why did you do it?

NEWMAN: "Because we are right."

As though to make the point that Jimmy Carter hadn't made him change his mind about change, the Cuban leader said goodbye dressed in the same olive-green battle fatigues he's been wearing for 43 years.

Lucia Newman, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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